


I'm here

by Amethystfairy1



Series: Soulmate Shots [5]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Blank Wrist Families, Light Angst, M/M, Minor Aomine Daiki/Kise Ryouta, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, request
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-02
Updated: 2016-12-02
Packaged: 2018-09-03 17:31:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8722675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amethystfairy1/pseuds/Amethystfairy1
Summary: Kuroko's family didn't have soul marks. No words. No symbols. Nothing.It was a fact of life, something Tetsuya had known since he was a child it was rather ironic, seeing as he always moved unseen and unnoticed through life. With no one waiting to hear their words for his lips, it was far easier to go along with his usual day, not having to think about the nerves most people had on their sixteen birthdays.Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, for him though, fate had different plans.{In which Kuroko is a glass half empty person, Kagami is always late, Kiyoshi is the number one senpai, and Izuki's birthday gift is just another pun book.}





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MickyMtz90](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MickyMtz90/gifts).



> This is my first work for Kuroko No Basket, so I hope you'll go easy on me, it might be a bit OOC, this was a request, so I hope I did well because I love this ship and I want everyone to enjoy!

**_I’m here._ **

Ever since he was a child, Kuroko could remember people discussing soul mates. 

All around him, kids were discussing their one and onlys. That one person who would complete them. Tetsuya had given it thought before. His parents had explained it, it wasn’t too hard to wrap your head around. At midnight on your sixteenth birthday, a tattoo would ink into your wrist. It would be green for a platonic soul mate, any other color meant that your soul mate would also be your true love.

Great, right? 

Except Kuroko’s family had an infamous streak of not having soul mates.

His mother didn’t have a tattoo. His father didn’t have a tattoo. Neither of their parents were tattooed either. 

So really, fate just forgot about the Kuroko family. 

How oddly ironic, considering people tended forget about Tetsuya all the time. It was easy for him to make people forget he was there. Funny, sometimes, to scare his middle school basketball team. That is, until one day, when Aomine got his soul words.

Small issue, they were two years early. It wasn’t even midnight, either, it was in the middle of their walk home.

The powerful player had looked down to his wrist, and his eyes had bugged ridiculously. "No." He said slowly. "What is it?" Murusakibara asked, leaning over Aomine's shoulder to glance at his wrist. Even his eyes widened slightly at the sight of the cheery gold writing that had appeared, before he gave a barely there huff of amusement. "Have fun with that." He commented as he stuck another potato chip in his mouth.

It was at this moment that Kise spoke up.

“Aominechi? Is your hand hurt or something?” For he hadn’t expected a soul tattoo to appear.

Daiki passed out.

Later on Kise realized that he’d gotten a tattoo. 

Fearing confirmation, yet all the same, Murusakibara helped them carry their unconscious teammate through the street towards the hill they would normally rest on.  
When people gave them concerned glances, mostly because they had never seen a titan of a purple haired boy carrying another, also fearfully tall blu haired boy, while a blonde tried to keep said blue haired boy from falling off. 

Kuroko had attempted to dissuade any worrisome activity by waving to people in a friendly manner.  
It didn't really work, seeing as one couple, a young man and woman, approached him

"Is your friend quite alright?" The man asked.  
Kuroko nodded. "He is fine."  
The woman looked worried still.  
"Why is he being carried by that man?" 

Kuroko shook his head. "That is another friend of ours, Murusakibara-kun. Believe me, he is our age."  
The man frowned. "So why did your friend pass out?"  
Kuroko shrugged. "Because he got his soul words earlier, and it turns out that our other friend Kise-kun is his soul mate."  
This seemed to convince the couple things were fine, and they at last allowed them to move on. 

The instant Aomine woke up, he moaned.  
"What the hell happened?"

And in that instant, those words appeared in blue on Kise's wrist. 

Well, that settled that. 

Lovely.

Kuroko had tried his best to be happy for them. It was, however, in these moments that he was rather glad he was known for being detached and quiet. No one expected him to be jumping for joy, or really even give any emotional response at all.

A simple ‘Congratulations, Aomine-kun.’ Had sufficed. 

After middle school he lost touch with his former best friend and said best friends soul mate. Though he knew he could likely get on any basketball team he wanted, he went to Seirin, simply because he didn’t want to be drawn into the same world of scores and wins and individual power that had been Teiko. 

He saw the way the coaches eyes widened when she read over his club submission form.

It was fun to see everyone freaking out over his passing skills. 

The most interesting thing by far, though, was Kagami. Meeting him reminded Kuroko strongly of Aomine, but in a different way. Kagami wanted to get better. He thirsted for it in the way a raging fire yearned for more oxygen. One more basket. One more point. Always fighting with all his might, and not above depending on his teammates.

Thus, ever since they begun hanging out when Kuroko got his usual vanilla shake, the blue haired boy decided he rather liked his new light. 

They became the new light shadow duo, and were unstoppable for a while. Even when they met with Kise again, it was the same, they were able to get past him. 

While they were there, Kuroko attempted to approach Kise on the subject of Aomine.

The blonde had gotten a pained expression on his face, and waved his hand awkwardly.

“We aren’t really speaking at the moment.”  
That was disconcerting, but Kuroko wasn’t one to pry. He left it with a simple wish for better.

“I hope things work out for you.” 

Then he had left.

Now, for his sixteen birthday, Kuroko wasn’t expecting much. No one on the team knew it was his birthday, either, but when he came through the door and Kiyoshi waved him over to the club room with a massive bear paw of a hand, he got a very bad feeling.

Once they got into the room, the next few seconds were an explosion of confetti, noise makers, and shouts of ‘happy birthday’ intermixed with his own name. 

Sixteenth birthday’s were a somber occasion for his family for the most part. So smiling brighter then he had ever managed before with them, it was nice to be able to celebrate it for what it should be.

"How did you all know it was today?" Kuroko asked as Izuki ushered him in.  
Kiyoshi grinned. "Well, I wasn't going to let anyone on this team get away without having a birthday party here! So I looked through the club forms and found out when all the 1st years birthdays are, so we can surprise everyone! Even shy ones like you, Kuroko."

Of course, as they were eating cake, as Kuroko expected, someone had to ask. 

In this case, it happened to be Kiyoshi who piped up.

“So, what do you expect for your soul mark tonight?” He asked.

Kuroko calmly took another bite of vanilla cake, apparently his team knew his love for the flavor, before he spoke.

“My family doesn’t have soul mates, so I won’t be getting one.”  
The mood at the bench they’d turned into a table died just a little bit.

“Oh...sorry. That was a bit of a killer.” Kiyoshi muttered when he realized the jovial mood had suffered.

Kuroko shook his head. “It is nothing, a normal question to ask if anything. Please do not feel bad about it, senpai. I’ll be fine, it does not bother me. I have always known I will not be getting a mark, it is nothing new.”

Kagami grunted. “Sounds like a bummer, but nothing you can do about it.”  
Kuroko was actually grateful for his friends bluntness. It was beneficial to getting the topic away from his soul mark.

Heading home that day with a brand new basketball, a collective gift from the other first years, a new sports jacket, from Kiyoshi, and a new set of his signature wristbands, from Hyuga and Riko. Izuki had given him a book of puns, which was now tucked into his backpack, and Kuroko actually intended on reading the first few pages of it. 

Perhaps it would cheer him up tonight before bed? 

To be totally honest with himself, Tetsuya was pretty disappointed that his blood line prevented him from having a soul mate. It was pretty disheartening to know that, even if he were to meet someone, love them, give them his all, another could come along, say a simple sentence, and sweep them away far to easily. 

It was rather depressing, really, knowing since he was younger that everyone else he knew would fall in love, or have a perfect best friend at the very least, while he was left to quietly move through life alone. 

Like a little, unnoticeable shadow. 

_Very fitting._

He thought, not for the first time since the start of his basketball career, where he became known, or rather, largely unknown, for his incredible abilities of misdirection and vanishing acts with the ball and his body. Moving like a shadow through life, knowing no one was out there waiting to here their words spoken from his mouth, was simply a fact to him. 

A very saddening fact, but a fact all the same.

He got home, lazily passed the evening shooting in his backyard, then went up to his bedroom. 

He brushed his teeth, laid in bed and read a few pages of Izuki’s pun book (Update: It was actually pretty funny) and then, he reached back and switched off his lamp, going to sleep.

Normally, someone would stay up until midnight on their 16th birthday, but why would Kuroko bother?  
After all, he didn’t _have_ a soul mate waiting for him. 

The blue haired freshman woke up the next day, a Saturday, without an alarm. He scratched at his massive bed head before flopping back down and burying himself until his covers.

He dozed for a bit, until #2 jumped onto his prone form and barked.

Relenting, Kuroko sat up and stretched. 

He helped the dog into his usual basketball uniform top, then moved into his bathroom.

While he was reaching for his toothbrush, he let out a startled yelp and stumbled backwards when a flash of violent dark red caught his eye.

On his left wrist, in a barely readable, seemingly rushed scrawl, there were the words.

_._

_._

_._

_Why the hell did you scare me like that!?_

_._

_._

_._

Kuroko felt a strange welling in his heart. 

_A soul mate._

He thought in his mind.

_A romantic soul mate. I have one. I have one. I have a soul mate!_

Smiling down at the words, he felt like he was riding on a high. 

He hurried through his usual ritual, dressed in jeans, sneakers, and his striped black and white shirt with a blue layered button up.

He snatched up his new basketball and hurried out the door, #2 nipping at his heels. 

When he arrived at the park, where he planned on meeting Kagami to shoot for a while before going to grab lunch, he found he was the first one there. In his excitement he’d bolted out the door a half hour early. 

Shaking his head softly at his own stupidness, he looked down at the words again. It felt amazing to have something to listen for, all of the sudden. 

He starting dribbling and shooting for a bit, finally taking a break on the nearby bench. 

A few moments later, here came Kagami. He was wearing a gray tank top wit jeans, his black jacket tied around his waist, and his hands in his pants pockets. 

He glanced over the court before smirking softly and dropping onto the bench next to Kuroko.

“I finally beat him!” He murmured under his breath.

Kuroko looked up at the red haired younger for a moment before speaking up a bit louder then necessary.

“I’m here.” 

Kagami screamed and jumped off the bench, mouth falling open before he blurted out.

“Why the hell did you scare me like that!?” He roared, gaping at the blue haired boy.

Kuroko stopped laughing quietly into his palm when those words hit him in the face as if they were a physical force.

“Kagami-kun.” He said flatly.

“What?” Kagami demanded between pants to recover from his frantic racing heart.

“Look at your left wrist.”  
Kagami raised a thick eyebrow.  
“Why should I? I’m not sixteen yet I...wait, what!?” 

He screeched this when he realized a pale blue, hard to see against his tanned skin, had inked in above the thrumming vein that led to his heart.

_._

_._

_._

_I’m here._

_._

_._

_._

“Kuroko? You’re...you’re my? But I thought your family...?”

Kuroko stood up, dropped his basketball, and hugged Kagami around the waist.

“W-What are you doing!? You’re being freaking weird today!” 

Kuroko said something into the taller’s chest.

“Repeat that, except not into my shirt.” Taiga ordered.

Kuroko pulled back and looked up at him. 

The powerful ace was shocked to see him tearing up.

“Kuroko! Are you ok?”

Kuroko nodded softly, then spoke up with equal tenderness.

“I’m just...I’m glad I’m not alone.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thats all, thank you for reading and please leave a comment with some suggestions, I'll write for anything as long as I know the fandom!


End file.
